MONEY MAKES THE WORLD SPIN

Chapter Nine: The Fall of Glass and Blood

Smoke twisted like ghosts through the Carter boardroom. Shattered glass crunched beneath boots. The skyline of Dubai, usually pristine and untouched, was now a smoldering backdrop for civil war.

Jace Carter dropped to one knee behind the table as bullets shredded the air. The board members screamed, scrambling for cover as Victor Lang’s private security opened fire on Darius Feng’s strike team.

“Clear the windows!” Darius barked. Mei Lin, crouched by the emergency relay panel, hacked into the floor’s security systems, plunging the room into red emergency lighting. The steel panic shutters descended, slamming into place with a clang, sealing them in.

Gustavo Reyes ducked beside Jace. “Still want the throne, kid?”

Jace cocked his pistol. “I didn’t come to inherit a kingdom. I came to end it.”

Across the room, Daven Carter rose from the smoke like something born of it. Suit torn. Blood on his temple. Eyes gleaming with hatred. “You should’ve stayed dead,” he hissed.

“You should’ve never come back,” Jace spat. Their standoff was cut short by a fresh explosion, the west door blasted off its hinges as Victor Lang’s reinforcements swarmed in, clad in black tactical gear, faces hidden behind visors.

Elena, despite her wounded arm, fired first. One down. Two. Darius rolled a flashbang across the floor, light erupted. Screams. Confusion, Then came the scream from a board member who’d taken a stray bullet, a man who had voted in Daven’s favor minutes earlier.

Blood pooled at the foot of the legacy throne, In the chaos, Victor Lang made his move, He slipped behind the console the override terminal still active and inserted a counter-code into the system. Mei Lin spotted it too late. “NO!” she shouted.

But the screens flickered and suddenly, the data crystal Jace had used to override Daven’s claim began to corrupt. Lucien Ward’s virus. “The bastard had a backdoor!” Mei Lin cried.

Victor grinned like a wolf. “I never bet on pawns. Only monsters.” Jace lunged at him,  too late. Victor pulled a gun. But before he could fire, a shot rang out. Victor’s eyes widened.

Noelle Varga, standing at the entrance with bloodied knuckles, had shot him square in the chest. He dropped like a rag doll. Noelle limped into the room. “Had to come late,” she muttered. “Brought gifts.” She tossed a briefcase onto the table.

Inside? A mirror backup of the Carter archive, stored offline. Clean. Untouched by Lucien’s code, Jace grabbed it. Plugged it in., And the system rebooted.

The screen flashed: CARTER CONSORTIUM: PRIMARY CONTROL RESTORED. “Final authentication required: Heir’s Confirmation – Voice & Blood.” Jace stepped forward, heart racing. But then the console blinked again.

A second confirmation request appeared. Secondary Heir Detected: Daven Carter. “System requires dual resolution protocol.” Daven laughed. It was a cold, sharp sound.

“The system won’t obey you until one of us is gone.” Jace’s jaw clenched. “Then let’s finish this.” The glass above the throne shattered again.

Lucien Ward’s voice flooded the room, not in person, but through the building-wide intercom. “Ah… the Carter boys. Fighting for a grave. Elias would be proud.”

Jace looked up at the ceiling speaker. “Show yourself, Lucien!”

“Soon, boy. But not today. Today… I’m watching. Because no matter who wins, I still own what’s coming next.” Then the intercom clicked off.

Elena shoved a weapon into Jace’s hand. “Take him down. Now.” Daven stepped forward. No bodyguards. No backup. Just rage.

“You want the empire?” he growled. “Take it. Over my corpse.” Jace raised his pistol. So did Daven. For a split second, it was silence. Then they fired. Both shots hit. Jace staggered , a graze to the ribs.

Daven collapsed,  hit in the chest, hard, Blood soaked through his shirt. He gasped, reaching toward the override console with trembling fingers. Jace stumbled forward, gun still raised, heart thunderous. “Don’t,” he said, voice low. Daven’s hand hovered above the scanner. But then… he smiled. And slammed his palm down.

DUAL RESOLUTION PROTOCOL ACCEPTED.

“Final protocol activated  THE LION’S CHOICE.”

“One heir rises. One heir falls. No reversal possible.”

The floor beneath them split open, revealing a chamber below, a deep, glowing shaft. Inside it? A final panel,  one slot. One code. One override crystal required, Daven looked up, coughing blood. “Finish it… cousin. Be the king you think you are.” Then he passed out.

Jace descended into the shaft alone, No one followed, The city of Dubai burned behind him. Above, Lucien Ward’s satellites were shifting position. He reached the final chamber. A voice, Elias Carter’s voice, recorded decades ago echoed through the chamber: “To the one who survives… you hold my final gift. The power to change the world. Or to destroy it.”

Jace reached for the panel. His hand hovered, And then, on a hidden monitor, a new video began to play. His mother. Alive. In chains. Lucien’s voice whispered: “Choose the empire… or save her.”